As the opposition rallied around a group of military graduates who faced dismissal from the army over a controversial oath, Defense Ministry sources said on Monday that the dismissal is for disobeying orders, not the oath itself.
Some among 960 graduates separately convened after a traditional oath-taking ceremony for graduates at the Turkish Military Academy on August 30. When their footage of crossing swords and shouting “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk)” emerged, the group, including valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu, faced disciplinary proceedings. They recited a discontinued version of the oath that was championed by the opposition. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was present at the graduation ceremony, has criticized the actions of the graduates, wondering “why and to whom they lifted their swords.” The oath became a battle cry for critics of the government or self-styled defenders of “secularism” against what they call the “Islamist” administration.
Sources quoted by Turkish media said graduates repeatedly applied to the Ministry of National Defense to recite an “alternative” oath, but it was rejected. They said discipline was the foundation of military duty and Turkish military personnel were well aware of the rules. They stressed that the investigation launched over the incident did not focus on the oath itself but on “planners” of the incident that required disciplinary action as they disobeyed orders. Sources said those involved in the incident deliberately invited media to their own oath-taking ceremony despite warnings of their superiors and this violated a military discipline code for actions that may harm the reputation of the state and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
The debate over the sword incident reflects broader concerns about Türkiye’s military and its role in the country, encapsulating the enduring trauma of “military tutelage” within Turkish society. Military tutelage in Türkiye refers to the historical dominance of the military over civilian politics, which has shaped the country’s political landscape for decades. This concept encompasses the influence exerted by the military in political decision-making and governance, often justified by the “need to preserve national security and uphold the secular nature of the Republic.” The era of military tutelage was marked by coups and interventions that profoundly impacted Turkish democracy. However, under the leadership of Erdoğan and his AK Party, there has been a significant shift in addressing and countering military influence in Turkish politics.